Air strikes kill 55 Islamic militants in Afghanistan within 24 hours

Up to 55 militants have been killed in Afghan air strikes in the militancy-battered country over the past 24 hours, officials said Tuesday.

In the latest sorties, military aircraft pounded Taliban hideouts in Aryub Zazai district of the eastern Paktia province in the wee hours of Tuesday, killing at least 13 insurgents, reported Xinhua news agency quoting an army statement.

The drone strikes, according to the statement, had also destroyed a Taliban vehicle and badly damaged their bunkers.